Time-controlled switch.



G. W.'FREE. TIME CONTROLLED SWITGH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1911.

1,008,634, Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

Y m Y L UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE FREE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TIME-CONTROLLED swrrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov.-14, 1911.

Application filed February 15, 1911. Serial No. 608,821.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, GEORGE W. FREE, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri have inventedcertain'new and useful Improvements in Time Controlled Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatically-operatedswitches for controlthe claim.

tive i'iow, on an enlarged scale, of the switch'operating member.

In carrying out the present invention an ordinary alarm-clock '1 havingthe usual time winding and setting shafts 2 and 3 and the usualv alarmwinding and setting shafts 4 and 5, respectively, is used. A bracket. (3is preferably formed of a metal plate that may he cut and bentinto thedesired shape by means of a. sheet-nietal press (not shown) or othersuitable means and is fastened to a. board 7 or piece of' slate or otherinsulating material by screws 8, or the like. The part i) of bracket (3projects outwardly from the board 7 and forms a seat for the clock 1,being preferably concaved to conform to the curvature ofthc base of saidclock. Said part 9 of bracket (3 is cutaway at 10. so as not to use moremetal than is absolutely necessary for the purpose of supporting theclock 1. and contains a pair of elongated notches 11 to'allow the feet12 of clock 1 to extend thcrethrough, said notches extendingsubstantially parallel to each other and being formed in the front edgeof the part 9, so that the clock can he slid into place.

A spring 13'is secured to the upper part of board 7 by means of one-ofthebolts 14,

which support said board, and extends over' the top of the clock 1, theend 15 of said'eo spring being bent downwardly to hookover the upperedge of the face of the clock 1, so

as to hold said clock "firn'ily in place on bracket 6. place, the end 15of spring 13 is raised sufficiently to allow the top of the clock-topass therebeneath when the clock is slid into place upon the bracket 6,and, when it is desired toremove the'clock, the end 15 of spring 13 israised sutticiently to disengage the clock, thereby allowing the clockto be withdrawn from the bracket 6; The bolts 14 are secured In order toset the clock 1 in y to a b0ard'16 or piece of slate or other insulatingmaterial, and pass through spacing r sleeves 17, or thelike, by means ofwhich the boards 7 and 16 are spaced apart. The

board 16 is preferably square and is fastened to the wall 18 or othersupport by screws 19, or the like. The advantage in using an octagonalboard 7 and a square board 16 is that'access to the screws. 19 can behad at all" times in order to attach the board 16 to or removesame-from'the wall 18, without thenecessity of having to disconnect theboard 7 fronr the board 16. An ordinary cut-oft or snap switch 20,-whichcontrols the circuitof the electriclamp 0r lamps (not shown), isfastened to the board 16 by any suitable means and. its button 21projects into an opening 22 in board 7.

The alarm-winding shaft 4 of the clo'c'k'l is screw-threaded to receivea lock-nut or lock-nuts 23 by means of whichv a member 24 is rigidlyfastened to shaft 4, said member containing an opening 25 to allow saidshaft to pass therethrough. It is preferable to use two lock-nuts 23 andto solder same to shaft 4 after same have been tightened against themember 24Ywhich. is located thcrebetwecn. The member 24 is preferablymade of a piece of sheet-metal that may be readily formed into thedesired shape by means of a sheet-metal press (not shown) or othersuitable means. The ends 26 of the l ing 22 in'board 7 and'embrace thebutton by turningmember 21 of switch 20 in such manner as to cause saidbutton to revolve with shaft l, when said shaft is released to rotate atthe time at which the alarm is set. In order to allow the button 21 toenter the space between the two ends 26 of member 24: the edges of endsare A stop-pin 27 and a stop pin 28 are attached to the back of theclock 1 and are located in the path of movement of the arm 29 borne bymember The stop-pins 2? end 28 limit the movementof the arm .29 so thatthe alarm shaft 6t elf-clock l is allowed only to rotate through in eproper part of a revolution that is necessary to revolve the button 21of switch 550 to a position to turn the circuit oil. W lAGEl the shaft 4is rotated by revolving member in s clockwise direction, Fig. 3, so asto move the arm 29 from stop-pin 27 to stoppin 28, and the button 21 ofswitch 20 is rotated to turn the circuit on, the member 2% holds theends 26 in position to embrace the hutton 21, when the clock 1 isplaced. in the proper position upon bracket '6, as herein: abovedescribed. When the alarm-Winding shaft 4: is released to rotate at stime at which the circuit is to be closeo, some rotates in scounter-clockwise dir lion, ,l ig. 3, and tl'1ereby'moves zi'rin 29 fromstop-pin 28 to stop-pin 27, with the result that the ends 26 of member24 rotate the hutton 21 of switch 20 suiiiciently to turn oil' the circuit.

It should be understood that by changing the positions of the stop-pins2 7 and 28 and the member 24 the device can be used autoniaticslly aturning the circuit on predetermined time.

The operation of the apparatus largely evident from the abovedescription, t may be summarized as .follows: The time at Which the lampor lamps in circuit with. the switch 20 shall be ezitiiigsished is setin the usual manner by the alarm-setting shaft 5, and the alarm-Windingshaft dis rotated 24 so that arm 29 moves stop-pin 28. After the button21 of switch 20 is rotated to the posi' tion to turn on the circuit, theclock 1 is set in. position upon bracket 6, as hereinabove described.When the alarm shaft 4: is re from stop-pin 27 to to protect Y leasedsame returns to its normal position and causes the ends 26 of member 24:to revolve the button 21 switch 20 to the proper position to turn ed thecircuit and thereby to extinguish the lamp' or lamps automatically.

From the foregoing description of this invention, it will be evidentthat a simple, efficient, and inexpensive device is provided, itsadaptation to an ordinary snap or cut-oil SWlECh now in general usebeing particularly i advantageous for automatically extinguishing' anelectric lamp or lamps, Whichmay be used to light show cases, stores,'olfice buildings, etc, for a predetermined length of time during theday or night. Thus the necessity of employing personal service forturning ofi the circuit, as is customary, is obviated.

I claim:

lln a device of the type set forth, in combination with a clock havingan alaim-winding' shaft, a board for attachment to a support, a switchattached to the board and having a ievoluble button, a second boardextending over the front face of the switch same and being rigidlysecured to the first named board and being formed With an opening toreceive said button, a bracket on the second named board to support theclock base, a' central spring arm having a down-turned end signature inthe presence or" two Witnesses.

GEURGE W."FREE. Witnesses Gmors WALTON, GEORGE G. ANoEssoN.

